You are here

Greenpeace activists dressed as polar bears arrested in Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin's administration made its hard-line stance against political dissent known recently by cracking down on Pussy Riot, an all-female Russian punk rock band convicted of "hooliganism" for making a political and religious protest. On Wednesday, the trend continued. At least ten environmental activists from Greepeace were arrested in Moscow for protesting the country's Arctic oil and gas drilling agenda.

Several protesters rolled around in fake snow, and others chained themselves to a fence outside Gazprom's headquarters. The pseudo-bruins' intention: to bring white bear awareness and "demonstrate against Russia's push to drill in the Arctic."

A Russian Greenpeace member told VOA that oil exploration in the Arctic will "inevitably lead to physical destruction of the region" and that Greenpeace is trying to "create a conversation zone around the North Pole." He added that the polar bear costumes were meant to target the oil industry's inevitable contribution to the iconic Arctic animal's numbered days.

Agence France-Presse reports the activists have been charged with violating protest rules and have been fined around $300 each.